You can cook just about anything in an air fryer! Proteins like chicken, fish or pork, healthy vegetable side dishes, appetizers such as zucchini fries or chicken wings, and even desserts and baked goods. For some cooking inspiration, see my collection of my best air fryer recipes.
Tips for the Perfect Fried Egg in an Air Fryer
Preheat your air fryer to 370 °F (187 °C) for 3 minutes and don't forget to place the egg dishes inside. Once you crack the eggs into hot ramekins, the eggs will start cooking immediately. Cook your eggs on air fry mode (air crisp setting).
An air fryer is simply a small oven that runs on convection heat. The heat is circulated around a tight space by a powerful fan that lies just below or behind the heating element. Just as in a standard oven, it is perfectly safe to use aluminum foil in the air fryer.
At their core, air fryers are essentially smaller-sized convection ovens. For this reason, commercial businesses don't benefit from them. Convection ovens may find uses in the food industry for certain items but have many limitations for broader service menus.
The pros are that air fryers are versatile, easy-to-use, and very quick allowing you to make healthier food efficiently in your own kitchen. Despite this, these rather large devices quickly take up space on your kitchen counter or in your cupboards and can be tricky to clean.
Any glass you use in an air fryer should be tempered and oven-safe. The best options for air fryer cooking are those glasses made of borosilicate glass, like the well-known brand Pyrex. What is this? This particular type of glass is made in a 1000 degree F oven, making it super durable!
The size of the air fryer basket will determine how many rashers you can cook at one time. Set the air fryer to 200C and cook streaky bacon rashers for 6-10 mins – just-cooked bacon will take 6 mins, but crispier bacon will take 9-10 mins.
So, the question many people are asking is, can you put paper towels in air fryer? The answer is no; you can not! If you want to use them, they will pose a fire hazard and cause a fire in your home and your air fryer to combust. So, never, ever use a paper towel in the air fryer!
Toasting bread in the air fryer is about as easy as it gets. Add the bread to the air fryer and cook at 390ºF until toasted to your liking. For me, this is around 4-5 minutes. Don't forget to flip halfway through for even toasting!
Arrange the sausages in a single layer in an air fryer basket. Set the air fryer to 180C and cook for 10-15 mins, turning every 5 mins, until the sausages are cooked through.
Did you know you can cook a whole English breakfast in your air fryer? We didn't, but it can be a much quicker and healthier way than frying in a pan with lots of oil. Plus - there's less washing up too, win-win! This recipe includes an air fryer fried egg, crispy bacon, sausages, hash browns and baked beans.
French fries are arguably the most popular thing to cook in an air fryer. Air fryers use a fraction of the oil as deep-frying, and making French fries in them result in an appreciably crisp exterior and fluffy inside without the greasiness.
Can You Put Frozen Foods in an Air Fryer? Yes! Frozen food in the air fryer comes out crispy and cook more quickly than if cooked in an oven. You can cook everything from frozen meat to frozen snacks to frozen appetizers!
Air fry those babies!
That's right, from frozen. Take your frozen, uncooked sausages and place them directly into the air fryer basket in a single layer. Then, shut the lid and let them begin cooking. Cook sausages for 5 minutes, then flip them all over.
Yes! Aluminum foil can be used in the air fryer. Sometimes I like to line the outer basket in foil to catch the drippings.
At temperatures higher than 360 degrees F, bacon does splatter in an air fryer. The grease can splatter onto the heating element, which will cause smoke. If your air fryer starts smoking, likely there is some old grease or residue in the air fryer that is burning.
You can also use the air fryer to make baked goods. Baking food in the air fryer can be beneficial because you'll save time by not having to preheat the oven. It's also a good choice for people who are avoiding firing up the oven during hot summer months or if you only want to make a few cookies at a time.
Stainless steel pots, pans, or dishes can be safely used in an air fryer. However, if your stainless steel pots or pans have plastic, wooden, or rubber handles or attachments, you can not use them in an air fryer. This is because the attachment will likely melt in an air fryer at higher heat.
Air fryers are affordable, quick and use less oil
Air fryers are popular because they are affordable, don't use as much oil as a traditional fryer, and heat food evenly and quickly. These appliances are much healthier than deep fryers and work more rapidly than a standard convection oven.
Cons of Air Fryer
As these appliances need to circulate air through the food in order to cook it, an overfill Air Fryer will not cook your food equally or completely. This can result in some pretty sad situations. There is quite a list of foods that can't be cooked in an Air Fryer.
While research suggests that air frying may lead to less production of AGEs compared to deep frying, consuming too many AGEs over time may increase the risks of developing chronic diseases. Still, the air fryer may be particularly helpful when cooking starchy foods like potatoes.